ASX

Demand for the metals needed for the energy transition and a falling iron ore price are encouraging Rio Tinto and BHP to expand investment and production, analysts say, with the big dividends shareholders have come to expect likely to take a hit.

The public appears to be rewarding efforts to reshape the banking and financial advice industry after the royal commission, with advisers and the banks both enjoying an increase in faith from the community.

As the economy tilts toward recession, portfolio analysts are turning towards sectors and companies that handle cloudy conditions better than most. Healthcare, energy, consumer staples and utilities come into focus, while cyclical sector companies lose favour.

After posting a 16.6 per cent average annual return since 2014 and 31.8 per cent in FY20/21, the Cyan 3G Fund lost 35.8 per cent in FY21/22. So how does it feel, as a fund manager, when things head south in dramatic fashion? The fund’s co-founder, Dean Fergie, speaks to The Inside Network’s James Dunn.

The current economic cycle is too changeable to set any portfolio to autopilot, according to Mason Stevens’ Jacqueline Fernley. Counterpoints to conviction are needed, and the devil’s advocate should be your friend.

The hits keep coming for the country’s primary stock exchange, which is now under investigation by the corporate regulator for its oversight of the doomed upgrade to its clearing system.

Wind and solar are gauged as the cheapest sources of electricity generation and storage in Australia, with technology costs trending in the right direction for investors.

From shorting banks to going long on software and putting cash on the throne, fund managers give their thoughts on near term opportunities with reporting season in the rear view mirror.

A global study has shown that the problems faced by the Big4 are universal; incumbent banks may have the data, products, infrastructure and capital, but it doesn’t guarantee customer primacy.

Thing are looking up for retailers, and especially groceries providers, as higher prices drive profits. But the roads won’t be paved with gold to Woolies and Coles forever.

A dramatic reporting season saw over 40 per cent of companies surprise to the upside, less than 30 per cent disappoint and a third fall in line with expectations.

Higher interest rates, a slowing property market and the promise of loan defaults is curbing the enthusiasm of analysts on future bank earnings.